Help control midges that spread bluetongue with Butox® SWISH
With the first case of bluetongue now confirmed in the UK, it is important to choose a fly control product that is effective against the virus-carrying midges. Intervet’s large animal veterinary manager, Alasdair King, says that Butox SWISH, which has been a popular choice of farmers controlling biting and nuisance flies on farm, is also licensed to help control all types of midges responsible for spreading and transmitting bluetongue to cattle.
There have been more than 4000 outbreaks of bluetongue identified in western Europe, including Holland and France, since January 2007, and it is likely that recent weather conditions could be responsible for the spread of the disease to the UK.
Disease-carrying adult midges are capable of infecting both cattle and sheep. Without vaccines, the only option for controlling bluetongue is by managing the risk, and reducing the number of midges feeding on groups of cattle will help to do so.
“If an infected midge bites a cow treated with Butox SWISH it will die,” explains Mr King. “While this midge may already have transmitted the disease to the animal it has just bitten, fortunately it will not be able to pass the disease on to any more cattle in the herd. Any further midges landing on the cow will die before they can spread disease to other cattle.
“If an infected midge bites a cow that has no fly protection, it is still able to move to other animals and infect them,” Mr King continues. “New midges landing on the cow will also become infected and spread the disease further.”
Bluetongue is spread by certain species of midge and their ability to transmit the disease is temperature dependent. In hot weather (>30oC), 15 per cent of the UK’s most predominant midge species will be capable of carrying the disease, compared to less than one per cent at lower temperatures. Although temperatures are now starting to fall, thereby reducing the threat to livestock, there is the potential for already-infected midges to overwinter, which will potentially pose a problem as temperatures start to increase next year.
Choosing Butox SWISH to control midges will reduce the number that could be carrying the bluetongue virus and help prevent further spread of the disease. The ideal time to apply Butox SWISH is before flies and midges become apparent. Because of the long period of protection it offers, two treatments are usually sufficient to give a full season’s cover.